The Assignment
by SophieSolo
Summary: Set six years in the future . Ironic that an assignment from a school featured around death…would make one realise why living is enjoyable. Features the strange friendship of Black Star and Death the Kidd, but other characters also play a part later on .
1. No Goodbye, No Hello

Title: The Assignment

Characters: Black Star and Death and Kidd, with various characters mentioned here and there as well. The only pairing I am certain of right now is Maka and Soul, but we shall see what happens as we go along.

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me.

Summery: Set six years in the future. Ironic that an assignment from a school featured around death…would make one realise why living is enjoyable.

Premise: Stein has placed Shibusen technicians in pairs for an assignment. Sounds like a fun experience, no? But Black Star's partner, Death the Kidd, was off on a mission for over half a year...until recently. And unlike the other groups, they were never close to begin with. But with the help of other friends (and incidentally, enemies) they might both make it through this assignment yet…

Notes: italics are thoughts!

* * *

He hated the idleness.

He normally wasn't one to be contemplative, much less willing to sit quietly inside the dim room. But being alone in the apartment had that strange affect on him. Tsubaki, his flatmate and weapon, was going to be gone for over two months—and without another human being around, there really was no point in being his loud boisterous self. _Why put on a show when there isn't an audience? _

Black Star shifted in his seat. His current state was all that dratted assignment's fault, which budded from Professor Stein's warped sense of curiosity. Though Black Star loathed to admit it, he was glad that Stein's crazy-yet-amusing interests were resurfacing…especially after that close brush with insanity the doctor had over six years ago.

Yes, it has been six years since the Kishin was released into the world, when war was waged against Arachnophobia. Between that time and the present, Medusa had been brought down by Stein, which earned him a spot among the Shibusen faculty again. Of course, things would never return to the way they were before this entire mess happened, but anything bearing the semblance of normality was welcomed. Especially now, since the influence of Kishin is spreading, the enigmatic figure of Ashura still at large, and Arachnophobia being stronger than ever. The world was plunging ever deeper into darkness.

Black Star watched as the technicians surrounding him grew from children into young adults, ready to take on the troubles of the world without the safety of Shibusen's walls. Everyone, himself included, had grown taller—and this physical change was accompanied by mental growth. Black Star looked at his image reflected from the window; he still had the same messy blue hair, but his overall frame looked stronger, sturdier. With a wry smile, he noted that the egotistical assassin from his youth has calmed down…but it didn't mean he can't enjoy shouting the occasional self-tribute in the middle of class. Or autographing every single page of Maka's books.

Classes…schoolmates…it would be bittersweet when the time came to leave the school, but he was also eager to contribute towards eradicating the evils of the world.

Because before any of that could happen, he had to finish that blasted assignment Stein gave out last week. The good doctor is continuing his research on souls, and decided that it would be a great idea to see if a pair of emotionally-bonded technicians would create a stronger soul resonance in battles—which Stein affectionately dubbed 'SoulBonding'. The males in the class objected to that term ("guys do not bond, they only gather together and do cool stuff! No bonding involved!"), and decided to refer to the entire process as 'SoulMeet'.

So the technicians were paired off and were to spend a period of two months in each other's company, learning everything they could about each other. What better way to make two technicians, most likely strangers to each other, develop emotional bonds when they are forced to face each other everyday?

In the meantime, all the weapons would stay together and enjoy some time off. Black Star thought it was fair. In most battles, a technician was in charge of wielding the weapon and making the kill, but the weapon was duty-bound to preserve the life of the technician and itself. Black Star's fighting experience told him that it is much more difficult to protect than to kill in those situations. Who knows how much grief he must have placed Tsubaki through… Black Star wondered what Tsubaki was up to now, but doubted she wouldn't be enjoying herself. If only he could do the same, instead of sitting idle with nothing better to do. No action, no weapon to train with, no improvement—not something that sat well with Black Star's beliefs at all. Black Star was only left with his thoughts, and this empty space around him. All this thanks to that accursed assignment.

It wasn't that he hated the assignment in itself. Black Star was interested to see how much stronger his soul could become, even if it meant teaming up with another person. It was just that…while Maka was paired off with Kim (another female, much to the relief of Soul…honestly, the guy was so transparent with his feelings for the pigtailed girl), and Ox with Kilik… his own partner was Death the Kidd. He couldn't help but sigh. _At least my friends know what their partners are like already. I know nothing about the Kidd, asides from the fact that he reaps and uses guns._ And it didn't help that Kidd has been gone for the past seven months, showing no sign of returning to Death City anytime soon.

Black Star grunted. He wasn't sure what the repercussions would be for not finishing the assignment, but it honestly can't be helped. He just hoped that Stein would see reason (very doubtful), and that the last survivor from the Star Clan wouldn't become the next specimen for dissection. _Maybe it'll be a safe bet to get myself listed as an endangered species now…that way, at least Maka would fight for my survival if dissection time comes... _

His thoughts drifted back to his should-have-been partner. _Kidd_…the shinigami just left the city without a word, delving himself into a continuous slew of missions and secretive projects presumably for his father. This wouldn't have worried Black Star since he knew Kidd could hold his own in a fight, but the shinigami didn't even bring Liz and Patty with him. Neither of the Thompson sisters knew what was going on with Kidd, but mentioned that the young god was acting introverted—and that Kidd's obsession with symmetry was close-to-gone. Black Star chuckled at that memory; he never thought he would see Ox's eyes widen beyond the rims of his glasses, or a surprised Maka accidentally performing a 'Maka Chop' on Tsubaki, or Soul standing slack-jawed and emitting a high-pitch squeak.

Black Star tried to imagine what asymmetry could have done to the normally impeccable death god… but it has been so long since he last saw the black-and-white clad figure, that he didn't really have an idea what Kidd looked like anymore.

_Really, what is up with Death the Kidd anyways?_ Not only has the Shinigami been setting a social distance with the rest of the group, but now physical distance was involved as well. _Maybe Kidd finally decided that as a god, he should try and separate himself from the humans…._

Black Star's thoughts were interrupted when someone—or something (you never know, given the eccentric nature of Death City residents)—knocked on the front door.

_Who could be visiting?_ The sun had gone down already, Tsubaki wasn't going to be around for a while, and the other technicians are likely to be indoors at this hour having a jolly old time (Black Star willed himself not to recall Maka's story of Kilik and Ox dancing around the fireplace naked)…and… it wasn't like he had family. Feelings of suspicion surfaced. But he was a trained technician, and weapon or no, he could handle whatever was beyond the wooden door.

He swung the door open, revealing a black-clad figure with a hood over their head. The visitor wasn't very tall, and from what Black Star could tell between the darkness of the coat and the shadows of the figure itself, the person had shoulder-length dark hair. It was difficult to distinguish gender because everything was concealed in those folds of darkness. Black Star wouldn't have felt discomfort had he not caught a glimpse of skin among the mass of black fabric—skin so pale it couldn't be healthy. It felt as though a corpse came to visit Black Star.

The figure took a step forward, but Black Star refused to retreat into the doorway.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Black Star was the first to speak. This was his turf, and he would judge whether this be friend or foe.

The figure looked up, but shadows still obscured their face. "Hm? I came here as soon as I got the memo from Professor Stein about some strange assignment for class …I must say I'm not a fan of Stein's plan, and would have ignored it completely… but then the assignment involves a partnership". Emphasis was placed on the last word. The voice was playful, but Black Star detected some fatigue mixed in the words.

Black Star then snorted as the unpleasant topic of the assignment was brought back to mind. He almost wished he was in a fight with the mystery visitor right now just to forget the idleness he was condemned to…

And then something in Black Star's mind clicked. "Wait. What do you have to do with the assignment? I don't recall seeing you in class. Just who are you?"

The figure stepped into the doorway light. "Technically, I am your assignment. As you are mine". The hood was removed. Yellow eyes met green, and three white stripes framed by black hair greeted Death City once again.

To Be Continued…

* * *

Next up: Black Star and Kidd talk, Shinigami makes an appearance, and other characters have a role to play.

A/N: I never thought I would be writing something for Soul Eater, but this was a lot of fun! I made Black Star a little more brooding and insightful than his current character permits; then again, I am trying to portray him six years older. Maybe he would have matured a little by then! Hope everyone enjoyed reading the first chapter, and please leave comments telling me what to improve on (I know the paragraphs are a little long here). Suggestions for future events and plots are also welcomed!


	2. Words that Bite

Title: The Assignment

Title: The Assignment

Characters: Black Star and Death and Kidd, with various characters mentioned here and there as well. The only pairing I am certain of right now is Maka and Soul, but we shall see what happens as we go along.

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me.

Summery: Set six years in the future. Ironic that an assignment from a school featured around death…would make one realise why living is enjoyable.

Premise: Stein has placed Shibusen technicians in pairs for an assignment. Sounds like a fun experience, no? But Black Star's partner, Death the Kidd, was off on a mission for over half a year until recently. And unlike the other groups, they were never close to begin with; but with the help of other friends (and incidentally, enemies) they might both make it through this assignment yet…

Notes: italics are thoughts!

A/N: Many thanks to everyone who read or reviewed the story! I know there has been concern that Kidd lost the symmetry obsession, but that shall be discussed in this chapter. I suppose it would have been better to highlight that as part of the plot last time…

* * *

Well, this was awkward. After that little exchange at the front door, Black Star allowed Death the Kidd inside his apartment…but didn't have any idea what to do afterwards. So now they were both sitting at the living room table, tea in hand, in absolute silence. Black Star was getting fidgety, but Death the Kidd just stared into space. Black Star wondered if it was too late to wish for his idle-time to return. It was fine (but so very boring) being in the silence alone, but being in silence with another person nearby just made it worse.

Sure, the obvious solution to break the quiet is to start Stein's assignment—but how? Obviously through the use of verbal conversation. They could both do by asking basic questions and learning small facts about each other first. But Black Star didn't know Kidd well enough to jump in with any random question, as it risked being either too personal ("do you sleep well at night?") or too flippant ("how's the weather?"). _Sheesh, when did I ever learn to worry so much? Tsubaki must really be rubbing off on me._ In turn, it didn't look as though Death the Kidd would be the first one to ask questions.

Black Star stole a look at Kidd from the corner of his eye. The black coat was discarded in the corner, and even though the shinigami was wearing his usual black suit, the whole thing was so covered with dust and scratches (hinting at the nature of Kidd's previous mission) that it looked like clothing picked up from the streets.

"So…um….you look well" was all Black Star managed to say. A lame conversation starter, but one must simply give him credit for trying.

Death the Kidd's normally bored expression didn't change. "Really? If I really do look well, I think that Professor Sid could be considered the epitome of health and liveliness. Come on, Black Star, at the very least you can be truthful. I look like a wreck."

_Well, at least Kidd's sense of humour remained intact over the past few months._ Black Star retorted "And asides from that, you're all asymmetrical right now. Your tie is skewed, your sleeves are at different lengths, and… " He stopped when he noticed Kidd's surprise look.

"I'm….asymmetrical? Hell, I never noticed. This is appalling." The death god then proceeded to correct that.

_Well, that was interesting_. As Black Star watched the shinigami fuss and eradicate all notions of asymmetry on his outfit, Black Star realised that no one had asked the Thompson sisters why Kidd's symmetry-mania was disappearing. Everyone just focused on expressing their surprise, and speculating what will happen to the young death god from then on. Black Star observed that Kidd didn't seem to notice the lack of symmetry of the apartment either-- so either Kidd personally began controlling his obsessive behaviour; or must have been severely distracted by something else, something so very troubling …

Black Star was willing to bet his entire stash of autographed photos photographs of himself, of course that the latter stood true. _But what could be so worrying that could distract Kidd constantly? Unless… the situation outside of Death City is getting worse…much worse than anticipated…_Black Star was eager to know what Kidd saw on his mission.

Seeing that Kidd was still trying to brush and straighten his stubbornly dusty jacket, Black Star began asking:

"So where did you go for your previous mission?"

"That's classified information" was the only response he received. _Hm, a roadblock in the conversation. Try again._

"You reckon you'll stop going on missions so frequently from now on and actually attend class in Shibusen again?"

"I'm not sure."

"Do you have lots of death-godly things to do nowadays?"

"Somewhat."

"How's the weather?"

Kidd didn't even bother using words and only raised an eyebrow at that question.

Black Star sighed. It was like taking to a wall; ask a question, and an answer bounces right back. Except Kidd's responses hardly qualifies as answers, since they weren't really informative, and they don't….really answer the questions. Black Star was getting desperate to maintain the conversation, and decided to try another tactic:

"Why didn't you send any of us a message during the last few months? It seems you just decided to run away-- were we finally too asymmetrical for your tastes?" Black Star decided to use a teasing tone to lighten the serious nature of the question.

Unfortunately, jovial tone or no, Death the Kidd was able to discern the underlying reference about his avoiding the old gang from Shibusen. The look on Death the Kidd's face was puzzling-- the shinigami didn't look angry, and appeared to be going through some internal conflict.

"Black Star… maybe completing this assignment for class isn't such a good idea. I'm tired, and there are other missions I think father would like me to complete during the two months we are supposed to spend together. I'll explain everything to Professor Stein, so you won't be in trouble". Death the Kidd made a motion to get up from the table, but Black Star started to speak:

"Don't go deciding to quit on this assignment on your own. We're supposed to work as a team for this. You think I'll be satisfied as long as you get me out of trouble with Stein, don't you? I want to participate in Stein's experiment to strengthen the soul; I want to be stronger! I want to able to fight the Kishin and Arachnophobia, and defeat them!"

Kidd looked into Black Star's eyes. "Black Star, you don't have to push yourself so hard….you really ought to savour whatever brief moments of carefree youth you have left. The world….isn't as ideal a place as you think it is. You can't think that just because you're working hard, means you'll be getting stronger. And even if you're getting stronger, it doesn't mean you can defeat just anyone. People can try as hard as they wish to acquire power, but there are always enemies they cannot defeat. That is life. That is reality."

"So you reckon that the Shibusen students should just sit back and enjoy life while we can? Continue going on miscellaneous missions, and let the adults handle the real dangers? Are you saying that Shibusen students can try as they might, and still be unable to do anything to stand up against their enemies?"

Black Star wasn't sure what was making him speak in such a heated manner. Maybe it was the frustration of having all of his attempts at a conversation shot down; maybe it was the fact that Black Star was left in the dark when it comes to important information about the enemy. What Kidd said could be the truth, but the statement was unacceptable when held against the hard work of the students at Shibusen. Everyone was working so hard towards ridding evil, everyone has made sacrifices to win battles. Soul has his physical scar, Maka has her mental ones, Tsubaki has had to slay her own kin…and those are just the first names Black Star could come up with in that instant. And here the young death god was, implying that it might not account for anything in the end.

Kidd remained silent.

"And because you're a shinigami, you can do whatever you please unlike the other Shibusen students. Maybe a god does have unfathomable power. No wonder you've forsaken your own weapons, and left Liz and Patty behind for all of your recent missions. But you know what? No matter how strong you are, when you abandon your weapons, you're not qualified to be a technician anymore."

Somewhere, at some point, Black Star felt a line was crossed. He felt the conversation falling into a pit it can't crawl out of. Felt the assignment going to blazes. But he didn't care. All he was hoping for right now, was a fight with the shinigami so he could vent out the anger he felt.

But Kidd didn't do anything. Kidd just sat there, looking at his cup of tea with an unreadable expression. Finally, the words came out:

"I apologize if I said anything to upset you. And I will remain if you wish to continue the assignment".

That was a surprise. Of all the reactions Kidd could have had, he chose the one that might have given Black Star a heart attack. Yet the tension in the air remained. Black Star secretly wondered if there was even an assignment left… after this little spat between the two of them. If anything, the conversation highlighted the differences between the assassin and the death god. _At least later on, he could proudly declare that he never succumbed to 'bonding' during the assignment…which will help him maintain his 'cool' status in front of the other guys. _

"I need to make a call to father now to let him know I'm back in the city. Don't bother getting up; I know where your phone is." And then Kidd got up from the table without another word.

Judging from past behaviour, Kidd would never call the older Shinigami unless there was something important to report and discuss. _Like hell I'm going to sit here and wait, I need to know what is going on outside the city. It's our fight too, _thought Black Star. He then snuck after Kidd towards the telephone room.

To be continued…

* * *

Next up: The two shinigami talk, and things continue to progress…

A/N: I know I said Shinigami was going to be in this chapter, but I decided that it would work better if I highlighted the differences between Black Star and Death the Kidd first. It really isn't a difference in personality; both characters have their flaws and their weaknesses. It is more a difference in their beliefs regarding the war with their enemies; maybe these thoughts are a little bit beyond what their age group is capable of? I'm not sure, but at some point everyone comes into doubts about what their limits are, right?


End file.
